Saeed Hassan

“I told them that it could be a tactical withdrawal and that there was nothing to worry about,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed, 58, initially dismissed his sons' report of unusual troop movements near al-Khokha as a possible tactical withdrawal.

“We just took the things that we could carry,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed described what his family took when they fled al-Khokha during their second displacement.

“The prices had doubled, and the food was not enough. It just kept our hunger at bay,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed described buying chicken and rice for his family at a restaurant after prices had doubled.

“The fuel warning light was on, and the car had only half a cylinder of gas left,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed described how his truck had little fuel yet managed to travel about 300km to Aden without refueling.

“I saw soldiers leaving behind brand-new cannon that had not even fired a single shot,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed described seeing soldiers abandoning weapons on the road as explosions and gunfire erupted around them.

“They told us that only women were allowed to stay in the room, so I left my family there so they could get some rest, and I slept outside in the open,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed said he was told only women could stay in a shelter room at a school in Aden, so he slept outside.

“I was shocked by the huge number of soldiers and military equipment that was withdrawing,”

Saeed Hassan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-03

Saeed went to see the troop movements himself after his sons confirmed soldiers were withdrawing from their positions.